family

I had *THE* best crockpot recipe 15+ years ago and I guess somehow, in several moves or something, I lost the recipe. I was SO crushed because after years of trying different chili recipes, I had finally found one that I loved and I haven’t been able to figure out where it went. I’ve tried a dozen or so chili recipes since and they are often pretty good, but not “THE ONE.” Oh well…I’ll keep trying.

I found this recipe and gave it a try, with a few modifications. I used ground beef and chunks of steak (instead of ground pork). I will try using pork next time but I did enjoy having the chunks of beef in the chili.

My parents were in town for the weekend and I decided chili and cornbread would be a good meal to make for all of us.

Michael’s back is still in bad shape and I’ve been taking over most of the Logan and house duties. (He’s getting an MRI this week, so hopefully we have answers soon!) I’ve been pretty overwhelmed and stressed trying to take care of everything, so it was nice having my parents visit to help with Logan. They took care of him Saturday so I could get a break and go to the gym.

I got home and showered and they picked up lunch (coleslaw, potato salad, quinoa salad and vinegar wings–my new favorites!) and we hung out watching the Olympics. Logan didn’t want to take a nap in his crib, so he took a nap on my dad instead. 🙂

After naps, my mom and Logan made cornbread to go with the dinner. Logan was super helpful! 😉

He loved helping. It was really fun seeing him try and “cook.” My mom liked it too. Lots of good memories! I topped the cornbread with some shredded cheese and popped it in the oven.

The cornbread turned out great!

Time for dinner. The chili was pretty good. I would have preferred it to be a bit more spicy, but my parents aren’t spicy food people. (I will be adding hot sauce to the leftover). They loved the chili and said it was great. Michael even liked it, and he is not really a chili fan.

The chili was definitely better with cornbread and toppings!

The recipe said it had 6-8 servings in it. We each had 2 scoops for dinner (so 4 servings the first night) and I think there are at least 4-5 more servings in leftovers. I am taking some to work for lunches this week.

It’s even better the next day, a little thicker. I would definitely make this recipe again.

We had a busy weekend being social this weekend. I did the usual stuff-working out, etc. Then Saturday night some friends came over for dinner. It was my friend Star’s birthday and we often do a joint celebration since our birthdays are pretty close together. She requested Michael’s fish and chips.

I got some tilapia for the fried fish and I got some fresh cooked shrimp for shrimp cocktail. I also made a bit salad with mixed greens and a Mediterranean mix. On a whim I bought this bottle of sparkling soda. I’ve never had it before but I highly recommend it! It was REALLY delicious and only 45 calories a serving. I would definitely buy this again for something fancy and sparkly without alcohol in it.

Dinner was really tasty. The fish turned out perfectly. Logan is going through a picky phase, so he didn’t eat any of it. He had a few bites of salad, but basically had green beans, mini corndogs with ketchup (his new favorite thing) and some yogurt. LOL Toddlers.

Star made a cake. It was A-MAZING. She used a dark chocolate ghiradelii mix and then made her own cream cheese frosting from scratch. It was the most delicious, decadent cake I’ve ever had. So good! Even Michael loved it and he doesn’t like cake.

LOGAN LOVED IT. 😉

It’s so funny because last year for his 1st birthday party I slaved for hours making homemade chocolate cupcakes and homemade frosting from scratch and he hated it and refused to eat them and cried. Now he loves cake. Of course. 😉

Sunday was a busy day, too. We went to Michael’s mom’s house for my belated-birthday dinner. We were supposed to do it last weekend but I was in Seattle. I appreciated that they could reschedule. Michael’s mom made a fantastic Mexican themed dinner for me (my favorite). She did a variation of Pioneer Woman’s Mexican casserole. It was so good.

Layers of chicken, cheese, tortillas and a few different canned sauces plus Rotel. Topped with freshly made guacamole, beans on the side. She left the rice out, which was a good call. The casserole was perfect without it. And because Michael’s family is from Texas there were about a dozen different kinds of salsa and hot sauce to choose from. (hehehe, not that I’m complaining)

Gifts — my favorite running shoes! Yay! I needed a new pair. Now the weather needs to cooperate so Logan and I can get back to going for runs together on my days off.

Star left me with half of the leftover cake so I took that to Michael’s mom’s house to share with everyone for dessert. It was a hit there, too. Trust me, this cake was to die-for. And thankfully, there isn’t half a cake in my house tempting me now!

It was a really nice, but busy weekend–the kind of weekend where you feel like you need another day to just rest!

Michael’s back is in bad shape right now. 🙁 I feel terrible. He’s in a lot of pain and the usual stuff isn’t working. Mostly he’s just resting and going to the chiropractor. I hope it heals soon.

That’s about it for updates from our neck of the woods. What’s going on with you?